


J is for Jealousy

by Psychodelikas



Series: The Alphabet of Dreams [11]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Aaaaaaaaaw yiiiiiiiiis!, Because that's what best friends do, Especially Zane's new crush, Everything is awesome!, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, New Characters!, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, The castle is an awesome bro, Which Vala will happily grant one day, Zane might also have a death wish, Zane's new friends are awesome!, which Vala intends on exploting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 15:45:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12987264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psychodelikas/pseuds/Psychodelikas
Summary: I raised my eyebrows at the volume’s title.Pâtés, baguettes et un spectacle sous le clair de lune.I looked up at Jared. “What’s this?”He only continued to smirk then handed me the book. I pressed my lips into an annoyed line and randomly opened it.





	J is for Jealousy

“Vala? Vala? Valaria, can you hear me?!”

I blinked myself back to reality with a small gasp and smiled at Lily. “I can now,” I joked.

“I can see that,” she mocked amused then looked at me concerned. “What is with you lately? You barely pay attention at me, much less in class. And I feel that more often than not, you’re not even interested in what the teacher has to say. At least, not like you used to. Don’t even get me started with the way you’ve been acting this week!”

I swallowed nervous. “I’m sorry, Lily, but there’s been…a very drastic change in my life recently,” I told her truthfully.

“Nothing bad, right?”

“You know what? I don’t even know! But it’s big and it’s annoying and I feel like it’s taking up all of my time.”

“And…does this _it_ have a name?” my sneaky friend asked with a small smile.

I looked at her with an amused expression. “That obvious, eh?”

“Well, now that I know what’s really been bothering you, kinda, yeah,” Lily said with a chuckle. “But don’t get it the wrong way! I’m so happy for you. And if I’m being honest, I am really, _really_ glad it’s a guy and not something else.”

I did the only logical thing and stuck my tongue out at her.

The truth was that I no longer lived in the real world. The small conversation I had had the previous weekend with Jared had affected me more than I was willing to admit. Especially the fact that I had completely forgotten about my dream! But then again, I hadn’t seen or talked with Jared in that dream. I had only seen the fairies and that superb clearing.

The lost dream was sadly, only the tip of the iceberg. But even _that_ had not been the one thing I could not stop obsessing over.

Almost two decades ago, Jared Korrick had dreamt of me. _Me! Granted, I was just a kid but still!_

Night after night, I kept re-living that memory for a dream it no longer was for me. For the following week, I only saw myself as a little, nine-year-old princess playing in the sun. With each night, I saw things which had escaped my child’s eye. Like the fact that everything around me sparkled, or like the very cool lake right next to me which kept my small body at a normal temperature as I played in the warm sunlight.

The fairies were something else entirely. They were each of a single color from head to toe, their hair a darker shade and their skin, a fairer one. But their eyes looked like precious gems and their wings resembled glitter made solid though delicate at the same time.

Naturally, my little obsession made it damn near impossible to focus on school or my dissertation. Thankfully, I only had to complete the conclusion then add my references but even a task as simple as that was beyond my powers of concentration. To make things worse, my parents had started to notice my airheadness and even Kyra was puzzled by the short play times. Fortunately for me, I could always tell my favorite lie which was that the conclusion was always the most troublesome to write because I had to know exactly how I had argued my point of view. And technically speaking, that really wasn’t a lie because recent events had wiped away from my mind everything I had written in my dissertation.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, I functioned on Automatic Pilot Mode. As soon as the teacher started speaking, I started dreaming. From the moment students began rising from their seats and packing their things, I was brought back to the real world. And just like that, five hours swept by me without my even realizing it.

I had barely gotten in my car when my phone rang. “Hello, Mr. Reinhart!” I said cheery.

_“Hello, dear,”_ Zane’s mother, Kara Reinhart laughed.

“Oh, sorry!” I said embarrassed.

_“No troubles, darling. Tell me, is Zanthe with you?”_

_I have a bad feeling about this…_ “She just went to the bathroom,” I lied through my teeth. “We’re gonna leave the faculty soon.”

_“Ah, and I suppose she has left her things with you, including her phone.”_

“Yes, ma’am.”

_“Of course. When she gets back, please tell her to send us a text that the two of you have arrived at your house safely.”_

_When WE have arrived?!_ “You have my word, Mrs. Rein… Mrs. Kara,” I corrected myself.

_“Thank you, Vala,”_ she laughed then hung up.

“I am going to murder my best friend,” I muttered to myself as I wrote my own text message. _You’d better have a damn good reason for making me lie to your mother, Zane!_

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed. _…I knew I forgot to do something important today._

_…_

_Zanthe Reinhart, what the hell are you up to?!_

_Donchu be sassy with me, Valaria Straits!_

A small light bulb was turned on in my head. _Zane, where are you?_

_…in my room?_

_And where is your room?_

A full minute passed before the answer came. _…in the castle?_

I could see her silly, caught-stealing-a-cookie smile. _I am going to murder you._

_Jared’s been asking about you the whole week, you know._

At first, I froze in my seat. Then logic slowly returned to me and I almost saw red before my eyes. _And just how would you know this?_

Another minute passed. _…lucky guess?_

My eye twitched. _ZANTHE REINHART, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING, BACKSTABBING WHORE! HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING OUT AT THE CASTLE THIS ENTIRE TIME, MISSY?!_

_YOU KNOW, ONE JUDGMENTAL MOTHER IS PERFECTLY FINE FOR ME, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!_

I laughed out loud at her answer then quickly put a hand over my mouth to not attract attention. _I dislike you, Zane._

_So, I can tell Jared you’ll be here in ten?_

_I really hate you, Zane!_

_Okay, twenty counting traffic._

I laughed again and sent her a few emoji’s with their tongues sticking out. She sent me laughing ones and which blew kisses.

Shaking my head amused, I revved the engine then automatically followed the shortest route to the castle. But as I stopped at the red light, something clicked and I quickly typed a message.

_What do you mean, your room is in the castle?!_

_It’s a trick question, I know it is! :))_

_Zane!!!_

_…do you promise not to kill me?_

_Much?_

I let out a throaty laugh. _Maybe. Maybe not. Now talk!_

_I maybe, sorta, kinda have a room all to myself. Courtesy of you-know-who._

_Actually, I think I have you to thank for that so thanks!_

I stared ahead of me with a blank face. The light turned green and I angrily resumed my course. It really didn’t surprise me that of all the places my kooky best friend would hide out, it would be that infernal castle. What astonished me was the fact that Jared had agreed to host her way ahead of her twenty-fifth birthday.

Unless, of course, he had done that on purpose to somehow tempt me into doing the exact same thing. I absolutely refused to acknowledge that it was kinda working.

As was to be expected, Zanthe was waiting for me outside but oddly enough, the doors were closed. I signaled her with my headlights as I headed for the underground parking. She nodded her understanding of my gesture. Three minutes later, I was climbing the welcome steps. “Start talking,” I told her plain and simple.

“He’s in a meeting,” she answered casually.

I blinked a few times at her. “What?”

“Jared’s in a very special meeting right now with his partner. Apparently, I’m not allowed inside while they’re talking.”

_His female partner with whom he had argued last time…_ I shook my head, forcing myself once more not to give in to that particular train of thought. “Okay, next order of business,” I said a little hoarsely and drew my voice. “What have you been doing this past week?”

“You want the short version or the insane one?” she asked.

I pressed my lips into an annoyed line at her.

Zane smiled silly. “I couldn’t help myself, okay?” she explained herself. “I mean, I was just given the keys to the kingdom and I was supposed to give them up? No way! So, I did what I usually do. I insanely compromised. I went to my stupid classes by day then came here by night. My parents live in happy bliss, thinking I’ve actually been crashing at your place because we really don’t see that much of each other lately.”

“I hate it when you have a point,” I told her simply.

“I know. But, dude! This place is amazing! It’s like, the castle can read my mind and just points me in the right direction whenever I feel like discovering something extraordinary. And lemme tell ya. The rooms this place has are just…wow.” She gasped softly. “And the people! Oh, my God, Vala! It’s like, I’m actually living my stories!”

I stared at my crazy friend’s huge smile, wondering for the hundredth time if I should just put her in a home and end my misery.

I opened my mouth to say something but at that precise moment, the doors cleared us for entrance. “Meeting’s over,” Zane declared happy.

I chuckled then followed her inside. We had barely taken three steps when our path was crossed by the most strikingly handsome man I had ever seen. He had a sharp but soft face and he had shaved his beard recently because I could smell his rather nice aftershave. His long, pitch black hair cascaded to his shoulders which made his eyes pop out like crazy. I noticed with stupor that they were the exact shade as Zane’s! Which kinda made him look even hotter than he already was! And he was the right amount of tall, too.

I quickly glanced at my friend and tried very, very hard not to grin. She had completely frozen in her spot, a nervous smile on her face. _Oh, she likes the guy!_

“Hello, Zanthe,” he greeted her. “Who’s your friend?”

_Of course he had to be British and of course his voice had to be husky… I smell possibilities!_ “Valaria Straits,” I presented myself before Zane could, extending my hand to him.

“Delighted to meet you,” the man replied. He quickly kissed the back of my hand. “James Walker. I would stay and chat but I’ve got to meet someone about now.” He looked right at Zane and smiled at her. “I’ll see you later.”

_A statement, not a question! This is getting better and better._

Zanthe only smiled and nodded at him in reply. The enigmatic James nodded back then made himself vanish amidst the on-going crowd of people.

“So!” I said long and happy, making my blonde friend cringe comically. _“This_ is what you’ve been doing this past week.”

“Shut up, Vala,” Zane said, her cheeks slightly pink. “Besides, he’s already taken.”

“Didn’t seem that way to me.”

“I’ve met his girlfriend…”

“Oh…”

“And he’s apparently twelve years older than me…

“Sorry.”

“Well, at least a certain, mismatched owner is available.”

“Fuck you, Zane.”

“I love you too, Vala.”

But because her mentioning of girlfriends got me back on that stupid train of thought, I decided to give Jared a small taste of his own medicine. So I spent the remainder of the day with Zane and her band of supernatural misfits.

For misfits, they were. Will and Chris _loved_ to prank the castle residents and the damn building liked the idea as well. As such, people all over the place suddenly began to feel happy, excited, anxious, horny or just plain dumb then the most hilarious of episodes would ensue. The best parts were without a doubt when Chris would change into the victims’ loved ones or friends.

The winged children were just too much. They could control magic and therefore increased the residents’ experience tenfold. For a bunch of kids, they could create different places with suspicious ease and accuracy. When I asked one of the little girls how they could do that, she explained that it was much easier for _démon des anges_ to do that kind of magic than it was for spellbinders. Merlin reluctantly agreed then he never heard the end of how four children were better than him from Will.

I felt like I was in heave because yet again, Zane had guessed the existence of a supernatural species while thinking she had invented it herself. I felt that way because she still had remnants of trauma on her face from when she had first learned that week what type of supernatural the kids were.

“All right, troop,” Will declared. “It’s time we replenish our strength with a splendid dinner!”

“Dinner?!” I repeated shocked. “It’s dinner time already?”

“I know, right?” Zane exclaimed sympathetic. “I felt the exact same way when I lost track of time on Monday.”

“Is there a problem?” Chris asked then smirked at me. “Do you have a special lad waiting for ya, honey?”

“Actually, I have a special five inch heel with your name on it,” I replied casually.

While the others laughed, Varius gasped pleasantly. “Oh, that is wonderful! I haven’t seen a good heeling in too long a time.”

Just like that, the laughter died out and we all stared at him stunned. “Come again?” Merlin asked.

“Oh, not this time,” a grumpy voice interrupted before the kooky vampire could speak.

“Timo!” Zane exclaimed happy, getting down on her knees. I mimicked her gesture, smiling as well.

“Nice to you see you too,” the dwarf said then pointed at me. “But I’m afraid I’m on a special errand for stick-up-his-”

“No, no, no,” the energivore immediately cut in. “These lovely ladies will sup only with us and that’s final.” The _démons_ agreed with a simple nod of their little heads.

“Well, tough,” Timotheus replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “Jared said, don’t come back without the girl, I ain’t comin’ back without the girl.”

“Then join us for dinner!” Zane declared. The children agreed by clapping and cheering.

Poor Timo was caught off guard by that invitation and just stared at the girl with his mouth slightly open.

“Well, I see I sent the wrong person.”

I rolled my eyes as I raised my sights to him. Jared was grinning at the three of us. “Hello, Valaria.”

“Hi,” I said dryly as I rose to my feet.

“Zanthe, my dear, would you mind it terribly if I borrowed your friend for dinner this night?”

“You can borrow her for the rest of the week, when you put it like that,” she replied. I glared at her. She smiled with all of her teeth at me.

“Excellent,” he said pleased then extended his hand to me. “My dear.”

_If only there weren’t children present…_ Under everyone’s smirking faces, I placed my hand in his then let him guide me up to the library. To my astonishment, there was someone waiting for us.

“And you must be the enigmatic Valaria Straits,” she said with a warm smile, extending her arm to me.

_I’m enigmatic?!_ I wondered as I shook her hand. She was about as tall as I was but with long, straight, black hair and damn near perfect face. The fact that she appeared to be older than I was and that she had a slim but fit figure made me… dislike her even more.

“Sarah Williams,” she presented herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. What do you think of the place?”

Her question more than caught me by surprise. “It…definitely takes a while to get used to.”

“Don’t I know it,” Sarah agreed with a small chuckle.  “But be honest. Do you think this castle is the best way of letting people know what consequences their life choices will have?”

“Boy, you’re not one for small talk, are you?” I said before I could stop myself. Thankfully, she laughed.

“Sarah, that’s quite enough,” Jared said a bit snappy. “I know exactly what you’re trying to do and I don’t appreciate you using Valaria as your pawn.”

“I am doing no such thing!” she replied hurt and I swallowed nervous at the owner’s words. “As your partner, it’s in my job description to interrogate any future partnerships as thoroughly and to the point as possible.”

_Future what?!_

“Is it also your job to assume things which you know nothing about?” he shot back.

“I did learn from the best,” Sarah said with a smile. I couldn’t help myself but let out a throaty laugh.

“Be that as it may –”

“Time out!” I said loudly before I lost my mind. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I want to add something which would make this castle perfect but _Jared_ won’t let me,” Sarah complained, saying his name like he weren’t in the room.

“And what do I have to do with this?”

“Everything!” the co-owner exclaimed.

“That’s enough, Sarah,” Jared said on a tone which left no room for comment. “I appreciate your enthusiasm but I would like it even more if you would have asked me if I had approached this subject with Valaria before.”

“Oh,” she said a bit too similar to Zane. “Well, you couldn’t have said that from the beginning? Anyway,” she said before Jared could answer. “I’m hungry. I’m gonna go eat and let you tell Vala what’s what.” She smiled widely at me. “I’m really happy to have met you.”

“You, too,” I chuckled. To my surprise, I actually meant it.

After she left, Jared relaxed only a little. “I apologize for that,” he said. “If I had known Sarah would ambush you like that –”

“I like her,” I heard myself saying.

“What?” he exclaimed confused.

_Yeah, what?_ “I like her because there’s no bullshit with her. She tells it like it is and doesn’t keep secrets.” _Yep, I like her._

The corners of Jared’s mouth slowly curved into a smirk. “I must confess, I quite enjoy it when you are right, Valaria.”

I swallowed nervous again, my insides clenching pleasantly.

“Nevertheless, I do owe you dinner.” He walked over to the bookcases and searched for a particular volume. He exclaimed a pleased ‘Ah!’ when he found it then returned to me. “I think this will do just fine.”

I raised my eyebrows at the volume’s title. _Pâtés, baguettes et un spectacle sous le clair de lune. **[1]**_ I looked up at Jared. “What’s this?”

He only continued to smirk then handed me the book. I pressed my lips into an annoyed line and randomly opened it.

I blinked and I found myself in the middle of a street at night. People were buzzing back and forth and there were bright garlands everywhere. “What the hell!” I exclaimed.

“Welcome to Luxembourg, my dear,” Jared said happy.

“Luxembourg?!” I repeated stunned then the most absurd yet logical of thoughts crept in my mind. “Holy shit! My parents!”

“I informed them that I had need of your assistance well before your classes were done.”

Suddenly, I only felt annoyance as I looked at the smiling man. “How generous of you…”

“I knew if I was patient enough, someone would appreciate that about me.”

I laughed against my will then I found myself walking down the street of the small but beautiful city, hand in hand with Jared. I had no idea why I wasn’t surprised nobody paid us any mind but I didn’t care. Despite the unusual way we had gotten to the capital, I felt that for the first time in a long time, I was doing something perfectly normal: I was on a date. Even better, I was enjoying a fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant in the company of the fanciest man I had ever met.

When the night’s show started, however, I quite forgot how to spell the word, normal. Though to be fair, I doubted Luxembourg still allowed winged men and women to use magic in order to entertain people.

**Author's Note:**

> [1] Pâtés, baguettes and a show under the moonlight.
> 
> Thank you so much for still being here!
> 
> Well, I do hope the wait was somewhat worth it. We're finally getting along to the good stuff of this rather long story. :))


End file.
